BIRCHALL LIFTS VALENTINE AWARD

By Gavin Willacy - January 5 2005

Birchall Is Top Man
Former Glasgow prop Chris Birchall received the Dave Valentine Award as Scotland Rugby League Player of the Year at half-time of the Halifax v Huddersfield pre-season friendly on Monday night.

Birchall, rested by Halifax on the night, impressed so much in his appearances for Scotland in the European Nations Cup in October that he was voted star man by the coaching staff. The former Bradford Bulls youngster, who spent a year playing union in Glasgow with GHA and the Glasgow pro side, was presented the award by Ian Valentine, son of Dave, the former Scotland RU forward. Valentine Senior left Hawick for Huddersfield in 1947 and went on to play 15 times for Great Britain, captaining them to the first ever rugby World Cup win in 1954.

Other awards have been presented to Scotland Students Player of the Year Andy McPhail (Glasgow Bulls), Scotland A Team Player of the Year Andy Brown (Fife Lions), Scotland Under-19s Player of the Year Dougie Flockhart (Heriot-Watt University) and Scotland Under-15s Player of the Year Davie Crangle.